Combined sewing machine shipping crate and stand



Nov. 22, 1966 J. w. KREIN ETAL 3,286,869

COMBINED SEWING MACHINE SHIPPING CRATE AND STAND Filed Sept. 25, 1965 4Sheets$heet 1 INVENTORS John W. Krein, Henry J. Milan, WITNESS andWilliam G. Hauser.

Mi mi BY Nov. 22, 1966 J. w. KREIN ETAL COMBINED SEWING MACHINE SHIPPINGCRATE AND STAND 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 23, 1965 INVENTORS John W.Kre/n, Henry J. Milan,

and William G. Hauser.

ATTORNEY WI TNESS Nov. 22, 1966 J. w. KRElN ETAL COMBINED SEWING MACHINESHIPPING CRATE AND STAND Filed Sept. 25, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.4

INVENTORS John W. Krein, Henry J. Milan,

WITNESS Nov. 22, 1966 J. W. KREIN ETAL COMBINED SEWING MACHINE SHIPPINGCRATE AND STAND Filed Sept. 23. 1965 WITNESS 4 Sheets-Shee t 4 INVENTORSJohn W. Krein, Henry J. Milan,

and William G. Hauser.

W 9' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,286,869 COMBINED SEWING MACHINESHIPPING CRATE AND STAND John W. Krein, Westport, Conn, and Henry J.Milan,

Clark, and William G. Hauser, Fanwood, N.J., assignors to The SingerCompany, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 23,1965, Ser. No. 495,012 1 Claim. (Cl. 217-12) This application is acontinuation-in-pa-rt of our United States patent application Serial No.351,954, filed March 16, 1964, now abandoned.

This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to theprovision of a sewing machine shipping crate which after it has beenused as a shipping crate can be dismantled and reassembled to form asewing machine stand, and one of the primary objects of the presentinvention is to provide an improved item of this character.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcombined shipping crate and stand which is especially adapted toaccommodate a treadle driven sewin g machine.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensiveimproved method and means for shipping and mounting a sewing machine.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved sewing machine shipping crate assembly from the parts of whicha sewing machine stand can be assembled Another object of the inventionis to provide an improved combined sewing machine shipping crateassembly and stand assembly having panels that can be reversed so thatwhen these panels form part of the shipping crate, their unfinishedsurfaces are exposed and when these same panels form part of the stand,their finished surfaces are exposed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method andmeans for packingin-g a treadle type sewing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a combinedshipping crate and stand having panels which form a portion of both thecrate and the stand and which panels when assembled with other parts,form a complete shipping crate and which panels when assembled withstill other parts, form a complete sewing machine stand.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsof a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will 'bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a sewing machine shippingcrate embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a sewing machine standembodying the present invention, parts of the stand originally formingportions of the shipping crate shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the shipping crate of FIG. 1 with the coverremoved, and showing parts stored therein,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the shipping crate takensubstantially on the plane 44 of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing various parts of thesewing machine stand illustrated in FIG. 2.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 through 5, the improved combined sewing machineshipping crate 15 and stand 16 comprises a table top 17 having aconventional sewing machine receiving opening 18 and two band receivingholes 1919. The table top 17 has a finished side 21 and an unfinshedside 22.

The combined crate and stand 15'16 also comprises a left end panel 23having a finished side 24 and an unfinished side 26, and a right endpanel 27 having a finished side 28 and an unfinished side 29. The crateand stand 15-16 also comprises a back panel 31 having a finished side 32and an unfinished side 33, and a front panel 34 having a finished side36 and an unfinished side 37. The table top 17 and all of the panels 23,27, 31 and 34 have holes 38 for receiving various sized screws 41 andbolts 42. A treadle 44 has a finished side 46 and an unfinished side 47and a left leg support 48 has a finished side 49 and an unfinished side51, whereas the right leg support 52 has a finished side 53 and anunfinished side 54.

Many of the hereinbefore numbered items, namely the table top 17, thepanels 23, 27, 31 and 34, the treadle 44 and the leg supports 48-52serve two functions. When their first or unfinished sides are exposedand assembled as shown in FIG. 1, they form part of the shipping crate15 and when their second or finished sides are exposed, they form partof the stand 16 shown in FIG; 2. In addition, there are many items whichform part of the shipping crate 15 but which are not needed when thestand 16 is assembled, and these parts may be discarded. Specifically,the shipping crate 15 has the following parts which do not form part ofthe stand 16: the eight batten strips 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, and74, which are positioned to strengthen the crate 15, the insert 76 whichduring shipment of the crate 15 closes the herein'before mentionedopening 18, a bottom portion 77 of the shipping crate 15, a frontportion 78 of the shipping crate 15, and a number (FIG. 3) of internalbracing members 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, and 91. It should benoted that the batten strips 69 and 74 are wide enough to overlap theends of the opening 18 and thus hold the insert 76 in place duringshipment. Many of the edges and corners of these bracing members arepadded with felt as indicated by the numeral 92. In addition, thefinished sides 21, 24, 28, 32, 36 and 46 of the parts 17, 23, 27, 31, 34and 44 are covered with protecting sheets of corrugated carboard 93, 94,96, 97, 98 and 99. Also the cardboards 94 and 96 are coveredrespectively with protective sheets of plywood 101 and 102.

The shipping crate 15 is designed to house a sewing machine 104, a leftleg 106, a right leg 107, a treadle support bar 108, two treadlepositioning collars 109, a pair of treadle mounting clamps 110, a pitmanrod stud bracket 111, two pitman rod studs 112, a pitman rod 113complete with two rod connections 114, a pair of machine rest blocks115, a band wheel 116, a belt or driving band 120, a band wheel shaft122, and a plurality of the nuts, bolts, and screws, etc, housed in abag 124. The right and left legs 107 and 106 are substantially U-shapedin that each comprises a vertical front portion 117, a horizontal bottomportion 118, and a forwardly offset rear portion 119, the bottomportions 118 being provided with cutouts 123. The legs 106 and 107 andthe treadle support bar 108 are apertured at appropriate locations toaccommodate the various bolts and screws used to fasten the variousparts together to form the machine stand 16. The right leg 107 isequipped with a band Wheel shaft support bracket 126 and a band wheelshaft locking bracket 127. The items 126 and 127 are fully described andclaimed in co-pending patent application Serial No. 351,955, filedMarch-16, 1964, in the name of H. 1. Milan.

It will be understood that the shipping crate 15 is fully assembled andpacked in the factory and that, when the packed crate 15 arrives at thestore or home where the stand 16 is to be assembled, the crate will beplaced in the position shown in FIG. 1 with the arrows 128 pointingupwardly. Then all of the screws which hold the batten strips 69 and 74,the table top 17 and the left leg support 48 are removed. These screwsare retained and will be used when the stand 16 is assembled. Then allcontents (FIG. 3) of the crate 15 are removed and the empty crate isturned upside down and all remaining screws removed. Next the followingparts of the crate 15 are set aside: the table top 17, the left endpanel 23, the right end panel 27, the back panel 31, the front panel 34,the treadle 44, the left leg support 48 and the. right leg support 52.All of the other wooden parts of the crate 15 are discarded.

Thestand 16 is assembled in the following manner. The two end panels 23and 27, with their finished sides 24 and 28 exposed, are secured to thefront and back panels 34 and .31 with their finished sides 36 and 32exposed by means of a plurality of wood screws. Next the table top 17with its finished side 21 uppermost is secured to the panels 23, 27, 34and 31. Thereafter the assembly is turned upside down and the machinerest blocks 115 are secured to the lower surface of the table top 17with portions of these blocks 115 extending in the opening 18. Then theright leg 107, which carrries the band wheel shaft support bracket 126and the locking bracket 127,'is secured to the unfinished surface 29 ofthe right end panel 27. In like manner the left leg 106 is secured tothe unfinished surface 26 of the left end panel 23. Then the treadle 44with its finished side 46 uppermost is mounted on the treadle supportbar 108 by use of the mounting clamps 110 and the positioning collars109. Then one of the pitman rod connectors 114 is connected to thetreadle 44 by means of one of the pitman rod studs 112 and the bracket111, and the band wheel shaft 122 is passed through the hub of the bandwheel 116 and through the holes in the brackets 127 and 126. Next, thetwo leg supports 48 and 52 are placed on the bottom members 118 of thelegs 106 and 107, and the trea e support bar 108 is placed in thecutouts 123123 of theibottom portions 118 after which bolts are used tosecure-the supports 48 and 52 and the treadle support bar 108 to thelegs 106 and 107 Then the other pitman rod stud 112 is passed throughthe upper pitman rod connector and the treadle 44 is drivingly connectedto the band wheel 116, after which the treadle 44, the pitman rod 113and the band wheel 116 are properly aligned and all connectionstightened. Then the stand 16 is turned over and the sewing machine 104placed into the opening 18 and a driving band 120 connected between theband wheel 116 and the sewing machine 104.

The following are some of the advantages of our new combination shippingcrate and stand 15-16.

(A) It is inexpensive to manufacture because many of the parts whichform the shipping crate 15 are reused to form the sewing machine stand16. Also some of the wood screws which hold the crate 15 together areused as part of the stand 16.

(B) The shipping weight is reduced because if parts of the crate 15 werenot reused, the crate 15 would have to be enlarged to accommodate notonly the sewing machine 104, support legs 106-107, etc., but also acomplete stand.

(C) Because the finished sides of the parts of the sewing machine stand16 are placed inwardly in the crate 15 and protected by corrugatedcardboard 94-96979899, these sides will present a good appearance whenused as part of the sewing machine stand 16. a

(D) By securing the right and left leg supports 48 and 52 to the bottomof the legs 106 and 107, the length of the legs, per se, are reduced andthus the size of the crate 15 which houses these legs is reduced.

(B) All necessary holes are drilled in the factory and thus it is easyfor anyone to convert the shipping crate 15 into the stand 16.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim herein is:

A combined sewing machine shipping crate assembly and stand assemblycomprising a plurality of members some of which have unfinished andfinished sides and certain of which when assembled in one manner form acrate for shipping asewing machine and which when assembled in anothermanner form a stand for supporting a sewing machine, said memberscomprisingr (a) a sewing machine which when forming part of said crateassembly is housed in said crate and which when forming part of saidstand assembly is supported on said stand;

(b) an apertured top member which when forming part of said shippingcrate assembly has its unfinished side outermost and which when so usedacts as the cover for said crate, and when forming part of saidstandassembly has its finished side outermost, and which when so used acts asthe tabletop for supporting said sewing machine on said stand;

(c) a closure member whichwhen forming part of said shipping crateassembly closes the aperture in said top member;

(d) a back member: which when forming part of said shipping crateassembly has its unfinished side outermost and which when :so used. actsas a side panel for said crate and when forming part of said standassembly has its finished side outermost and which when so used has itsupper edge secured to the rear .edge of said top member;

(e) a pair of end panel members whichwhen forming parts of said shippingcrate assembly have their unfinished sides outermost and which when soused act as ends for said crate and when forming parts of said standassembly have their unfinished sides outermost and which when so usedhave their upper edges secured to opposite edges of said top member, andtheir back edges secured to opposite ends of said back member;

(f) a pair of substantially U-shaped leg members each having upper andlower ends, said lower ends being formed with horizontal bottomportions, said legmembers which when forming pant of said crate assemblyare housed in said crate and which when forming part of said standassembly have their up per ends secured to the unfinished surfaces ofsaid end panel members;

(g) a frOntpanel having a vertical height less than the vertical heightof said back panel and when forming part of said stand assembly has itsfinished side outermost and which when so used has its upper edgesecured to the front edge of said top member and its opposite endssecured to the front edges of said end panel members;

(h) a pair of leg .supportmembers which when forming part of saidshipping crate assembly actas batten strips therefor and which when usedas part of said stand assembly are secured to the lower horizontalbottom portions of said leg members and act as leg supports therefor;and

(i) a plurality of miscellaneous parts which when forming part of saidshipping crate assembly close the front and the bottom of said shippingcrate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 778,390 12/1904Wheeler 312-208 2,554,135 5/ 1951 Ayotte 312-208 2,573,412 lO/lDiefendorf 206-1 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. RAPHAEL H.SCHWARTZ, Examiner.

